


Psycho Pass - Coping Mechanisms

by galateabellator



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Crime Fighting, Crime Scenes, Cyberpunk, Detectives, Dominators, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Hate Crimes, Hate Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, Inspectors, Investigations, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Multi, Partner Betrayal, Partners in Crime, Psychological Drama, Rehabilitation, Rough Sex, Sybil System (Psycho-Pass), Unrequited Love, crime coefficient, criminals, enforcers - Freeform, hue rehab, latent criminals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2019-10-04 12:39:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17304791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galateabellator/pseuds/galateabellator
Summary: Summary: Due to lack of personnel, inspector Akibara Shizuka is changing Divisions. They say it's temporary, but she is seriously starting to doubt it.She is paired with inspector Ginoza Nobuchika, with whom she shares a strained relationship. Like that's not bad enough, she also works with her former CID partner, Kougami Shinya, now demoted to position of an enforcer, and things aren't going smoothly.Still, the biggest problem is her Hue, which is rapidly deteriorating. Despite having a pretty good ability - to influence its repair - her Psycho Pass is becoming seriously clouded. More than ever, she needs someone to replace her. Will she be able to save herself in time?





	1. Act Of Desperation

Warning: Since it's Psycho Pass, expect some scenes of blood and gore. Also, there's a mention of infanticide. Read at your own discretion.

**PART 1 – Act Of Desperation**

It wasn’t a complicated case… she thought as she was driving above the allowed speed, with rotating lights and sirens on. She could have used the automatic ride, but preferred driving manually instead. She was racing throughout the traffic lanes, avoiding other vehicles, trying to reach the scene of a crime in shortest possible interval of time.

Her holo-watch displayed a call. She wasn’t sure she wanted to take it, especially after seeing the name of her caller. Nevertheless, she still pressed the answering button, enabling only audio with no projection so the visual image of his furious face wouldn’t distract her during driving.

It was Nobuchika Ginoza. She knew this would be a problem the moment she took the vehicle without consulting him. She cleared her throat.

“I can explain,” she tried, but Ginoza’s tone was already condemning.

“You are impossible.”

“This is…” she wanted to say ‘an emergency’… but well.

“You were supposed to wait for the rest of the team. This is outrageous. You are not behaving like an inspector at all.”

She had no witty response, nor was there a point. Ginoza could be stubborn as an ox, but more importantly, she didn’t have a good contra-argument. And on top of that, he was furious. He was speaking calmly, but she knew him well. It was his _dangerous_ tone. Had he not been maintaining his hue, he would probably be shouting at her.

“Before you do anything stupid, slow down, park the car close to the scene and wait for reinforcements. You are making this very difficult,” he tried to reason with her, again.

“Ginoza-san… please, save it for later. There’s no time. The hostage could die any second,” she said, taking a fast turn left. She almost crushed into the nearest police drone, and left the sigh of relief when she avoided the machine.

“Are you listening? Drop it. Wait for the rest of us,” Ginoza warned her for the last time. She is going to have a huge problem with Division I after this. She was aware.

“They will die,” was her only response before she turned the holo-watch off. She stopped the car in front of the old building. She carried her Dominator as she climbed the stairs, running as fast as she could.

It wasn’t a complicated case. Like in most cases, there was a suspect, and there was a hostage.

Street scanners detected the change in the suspect’s hue half an hour ago. Her job was simple. She had to measure the suspect’s crime coefficient… then deliver the proper judgment accordingly.

There was no need to look further into it. A case like any other. Except… it wasn’t. She stopped in front of the apartment, gasping for breath as the cold air was tearing her throat from excessive running.

Inspector lifted her Dominator. Generated voice spoke to her mind, audible only to her.

“Dominator Portable Psychological Diagnosis and Suppression System has been activated. User authentication: Inspector Akibara Shizuka. Affiliation: Public Safety Bureau, Criminal Investigation Department. Dominator usage approval confirmed. You are a valid user.”

Shizuka sneaked closer towards the door. She heard sobbing. It was hard to determine… if it belonged to a woman, or a man. Man's Hue showed critical number. The woman was in danger.

“Daichi… Daichi…” the voice was whispering a name.

Shizuka pushed the door, facing the people inside. A man was hovering over a woman… squeezing her neck… and she was seemingly shielding a much smaller figure.  
“Stop it! Now!” she yelled.

The man… Kenzou Itou… turned his head. Tears were sliding down his face.

“Stand up. Both of you. Raise your hands so I can see them,” Akibara addressed them coldly.

Her heart was heavy… her legs were heavy, and she was starting to feel cold sweet somewhere down her shirt. Her pulse was quickening in anger. She was fighting to maintain her own crime coefficient from rising. She was breathing deeply.

_The child will move any moment. Keep it in mind. It will move. It will cry… it’s alive…_

The Dominator glowed turquoise as she was aiming it towards parents, who were both startled by her entrance. One look was all it took… to determine what happened in that family. Shizuka thought she has seen it all. She has dealt with cases that included abduction, murder, torture, rape… even slaughter… but infanticide was on a whole new level.

“Please… p-please...” the man was the one who was sobbing, unable to perceive the scene before him. The scene of his son, Daichi… whose head was wrapped in a plastic bag… and who was mercilessly suffocated until his little body turned blue.

Kenzou Itou was now under so much stress that he probably stooped to the level of a latent criminal. Shizuka aimed the gun… but didn’t measure his Psycho Pass. She pointed towards Nozomi Itou instead. The woman was surprisingly calm, even with the red finger marks over her throat.

“Get up. Lift your hands up,” Shizuka repeated. Her tone was harsh, but she felt tears sliding down her cheeks too. This isn’t a way for inspector to behave. Her hands were still shaking. She was hoping for a Dominator to execute Nozomi on spot. She was hoping to see her intestines explode when electromagnetic waves hit the damn bitch.

Inspector’s eyes widened in shock… as Dominator pointed the coefficient of 63.

“He is better off now,” Nozomi whispered, laughing to Shizuka in deranged way. “My Daichi. He is better off now.” The woman was psychotic. How could this… creature… not be recognized as a criminal…

“You monster! You… monster!” Itou yelled, approaching his wife again.

“Sir! Please, step aside!” Shizuka pled, aiming at woman again.

“The current enforcement mode is Non-Lethal Paralyzer,” the voice in Shizuka’s head spoke again. She wanted to scream. She didn’t. Instead, she was picturing a body. Small body… moving.

“He was your son. Why?” Shizuka asked. Her voice started shaking too.

_An inspector doesn’t behave like this…_

The woman was smiling again.

“WHY?!” Shizuka shouted.

“I just didn’t want him… to grow up it this world,” was Nozomi’s response. Kenzo’s painful cry echoed throughout the room. He rushed towards the woman and punched her hard. He started kicking her.

“Akibara! Are you okay?”

Kougami was the first to rush in, pointing his Dominator towards the man.

“Kou… no!” she cried, as enforcer measured the coefficient of a poor Itou. “He is innocent!”

It didn’t look like that, she knew. But he was. This was just an act of desperation.

“Enforcement mode: Lethal Eliminator. Please aim carefully and eliminate the target,” Kougami heard the voice in his own mind. The Dominator changed its shape. The poor man’s crime coefficient was over 120. Shizuka’s own Dominator pointed it out.

“Shizuka!” Ginoza rushed in next, pointing his own Dominator – but at the woman. He heard Shizuka’s warning to Kou, so he knew where to aim. Seeing the body of a child on the floor, he put two and two together. But, like Shizuka… he was surprised.

Nozomi’s coefficient was 92 in that moment. Low, but higher comparing to what Shizuka's Dominator measured.

“Gino, you have to believe me! It was the woman!” Akibara insisted. Her voice cracked. “Kou! Please!”

“You are all useless,” the man whispered. “She murdered my son in a cold blood… and you are judging me? What’s wrong with you?!”

“He is beyond saving now,” Ginoza remarked. “Shoot him.”

“Ginoza! NO!” Shizuka stood between Ginoza and Itou.

“Step aside.”

“His Psycho Pass can still be treated! Ginoza… please…”

“This is unlike you, Akibara.”

Kougami’s lifted the Dominator up. He disabled the mode from shooting towards the target. He approached and cuffed the man… unsure whether that was the right decision. Kagari and Kunizuka have taken the man into the van shortly after.

As Shizuka and Ginoza were arguing, Nozomi tried running past him. He caught her and pinned her down to the floor, dropping his Dominator along the way.

Shizuka sighed. If that monster can’t be judged… and her husband can…

“I see you’ve made quite the conundrum, Mrs. Itou.”

Masaoka’s calm demeanor was almost unnatural. His hands were tucked into pockets of his coat, and he walked casually between his colleagues. The woman just smiled.

“On the contrary. There’s finally peace,” she stated.

“You are at peace?” the old enforcer smiled as well, mirroring her own expression.

“I’ve just prevented my son from growing up in this world,” she was still showing no signs of remorse. Tomomi Masaoka was looking down at her. Ginoza was disgusted.

“I see. But, are you at peace?” Masaoka wanted to know.

“Of course. He won’t be exposed to the system... where our lives are decided on the color of our hues.”

Shizuka observed her eyes. “The suppressants.” How didn’t she realize sooner? The woman took suppressant prior facing her husband. Kougami seemed to have realized it before her. He was lifting a bottle with medicament from the kitchen table.

Ginoza was looking towards Masaoka, who was still talking to the child-killer.

“Are you saying the system is flawed?” the enforcer offered. Ginoza frowned.

“I am. We are all cursed.”

“You gave birth to him. How could you suffocate your own son?” Shizuka asked. “He could grow up into a model citizen. He could respect the law and have a really good life. Start his own family. He had endless possibilities. You took them all away before even giving him a chance of choosing his own path. Was Daichi such a bad boy?”

Inspector Akibara stepped towards inspector Ginoza... and that woman.

“He was a good boy!” the woman hissed.

“Was he? Well, you wouldn't put a bag over his face if he had been. Did he ask for much? Was he peaceful, or was he crying constantly? Tell me, Nozomi. What kind of child was your son?”

The mother's eyes showed something else this time. It was almost like she turned on some kind of switch. It has shown anger. And despair.

“He was the best child a mother could have! That's why I would never allow Sybil to take him away! I couldn't bear the thought of him becoming a criminal... I'VE MADE THE BEST POSSIBLE DECISION!” she suddenly lost her composure and started yelling. Shizuka wiped her tears away. Masaoka spoke no more. He showed Akibara the way to solve this, and now... it was all up to the young inspector.

“He would have grown into a fine boy. Take a good look. You’ve done this. To your only child. To your son. To your baby boy.”

She pointed towards the lifeless body, hard for everyone to look at. Nozomi Itou suddenly realized.

“No. NO! He had to be saved. I saved him. I did. I did. He won't be judged. He won't be caged. I know I did good! I KNOW I DID GOOD! I DID GOOD!”

But, she didn't. She couldn't persuade herself anymore. So, she started shaking. She started sobbing. Ginoza was having a hard time looking at her. For several reasons. Kougami looked towards Shizuka. She rose her Dominator again.

This time, the crime coefficient was 170... and growing.  
“You are slaves. He would be a slave. A slave to COLOR! I AM NOT GOING TO LET HIM LIVE A LIFE FILLED WITH FEAR! AND STRESS! AND BELITTLEMENT! MY DAICHI DESERVED BETTER!”

“On that, we agree. He did deserve better,” Shizuka whispered. A better mother.

She measured her Psycho Pass further. 210. 212. Realizing what she was doing, Ginoza released the woman. He stepped behind Shizuka.

“I am sorry... Nozomi. I am sorry you feel the system failed you. I am sorry you had to kill your boy because of it,” she said.

Then, by following the protocol, and obliging to her duty - Shizuka Akibara pulled the trigger.

Lethal Eliminator obliterated the woman, turning her into the pile of guts and blood, smeared over the floor. Shizuka dropped the Dominator. She took the small blanket instead, then covered the body of the boy.

No one was speaking anymore. There was no need. They just asked for the drones to record the crime scene, and make a file.

It wasn't a complicated case, she kept telling herself as she followed Ginoza throughout the corridor. She did what needed to be done. But why was she still crying?

“Shizuka,” her partner stopped walking. He wanted to say something, with that strict tone of his. She stopped him by leaning her face into the back of his black coat before he was able to face her.

“Not now, Gino. Not now,” she plead, squeezing the fabrics of his coat. She couldn't look at him, and she couldn't listen to his rebukes.

“Come. I will drive. I am treating you a cup of coffee,” he said.


	2. Diverse Viewpoints

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are never easy with Gino.

**PART 2 - Diverse Viewpoints**

He was still annoyed by her behavior… but seemed to understand that she wasn’t able to hear any of his critiques immediately after the whole incident. She was gripping her cup, warming her hands. The smell of coffee was comforting. 

It wasn’t what he’d normally do… taking her for a cup of coffee. In most cases like this, he would be telling her off, and in front of the whole unit as well. Not necessarily in order to embarrass her - merely for maintaining order as Shepard I of Division I. One could tell it was his duty to reprimand her.

In all those other times, he would be right to criticize her. She expected it, but… this time, he opted for silence instead, giving her some time to accept recent events. She was grateful for it. 

Prior to coming to the café, he regularly scanned her hue, and seen it hasn’t lost its usual, blue color. That’s when he decided they could go without previously stopping for treatment. He thought the therapy wouldn’t be needed this time. 

He was still concerned about her stress levels. However, since they haven’t changed the moment she neutralized the threat, he estimated that the main danger has passed.   
   
She had that convenient ability, he reminded himself. The ability he sometimes envied her for. She could reduce her coefficient solely through imagination. She described it as a way where she was ‘rewriting’ the stressful scene in manner that she could cope with it. 

Ginoza knew how that worked. He assumed that, in this particular case, she envisioned the strangled boy moving. Surviving. Breathing underneath. Removing that horrible plastic bag from his head… and getting away from the mother. Presumably, somewhere safe, with his father. Shizuka had a powerful visualization, so he assumed she conveyed something similar in her mind in order to avoid her hue getting affected. 

It was due to long practice, which she started when she was just a child. She had one of the best therapists in the field of psycho-rehabilitation. It wasn’t particularly hard to find a way to treat Shizuka… it was just that she was the most suitable for that kind of treatment that most of other candidates couldn’t adapt to. 

Her vivid imagination created scenes of a new, rewritten reality for purpose of getting away from stress. It was a form of escapism, and it was dangerous to practice that method in general. Still, Shizuka seemed to respond well to treatments, but it was only through long intervals of therapy that she was able to master it, and she has mastered it only after several years of constant sessions and taking suppressants. As a way of calming herself down when facing challenging situations that could seriously damage her Psycho Pass, Shizuka Akibara used to rewrite scenes in her own mind, keeping her hue clean.

Whatever she imagined this time… he didn’t ask about it. She wasn’t ready to talk. There was no need to force her to share and relive all those terrible scenes at that moment. Her CC number was low, and that was the most important thing in this whole mess. 

She wasn’t really an emotional type… but this was one of those emotional cases. Not only for her… but for everyone. Her emotions didn’t cloud her judgement, though. That will be something he will add to his report in order to try and justify her actions in front of chief Kasai.   
   
Ginoza was sitting opposite of her, drinking his tea. They had a lot to talk about… and she wasn’t going to stall much longer. But first… 

“Thank you…” she uttered. “Thank you for not being hard on me now. I really… appreciate it.”   
She couldn’t look him in the eyes, so she kept looking at the surface of the table. He sighed.

“You should have just… listened, Shizuka. You never do.” He looked throughout the window glass, looking to anything else rather than her. Nevertheless, with his peripheral sight, he grazed her expression. It was sad. She wasn’t facing him. 

“I know,” she uttered softly. She was already regretting her decisions. 

It’s been a while since he called her by her first name, she thought. She was _Akibara_ to him most of the time. She was guilty for this estrangement they’ve had… but didn’t know what to do to fix it. The more time passed… the more distant the two have grown.

He was dealing with too much stress recently. The job was harder than usual. Psycho hazards were happening everywhere. The crime rate rose, despite the perfect system that was managing it. She was supposed to help Ginoza keeping things in order. Not getting in his way, or making him angry. After all, that’s why she has been transferred from Division II to Division I in the first place. And yet… she has managed to somehow make things worse. 

Chief Kasai will surely have some sharp remarks about her sloppy work, and give her an appropriate punishment for her mistakes. Ginoza was well aware of it too, but couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything to justify his new partner. She wasn’t expecting him to defend her actions either. That would be too much to ask of him anyway. 

“What’s done… is done. Being hard on you at this point won’t make much of a difference,” he responded. 

This was truly… a nasty case. They’ve maybe even seen worse… but, this was a different category. 

Infanticide was probably one of the worst things that could happen under Sibyl. 

He pressed his fingers against the frame of his glasses, thinking hard.

“I will take a full responsibility,” she stated.

He finally looked at her… and he glared at her. 

“ _We_ will take responsibility,” he reminded her bitterly. “I am your partner and I am as guilty as much as you are for not being able to control you, or restrain you. I really should have done better.” 

It was difficult for him. But, putting it this way made it even worse… because it made her angry.

“Ginoza-san,” her brown eyes meet his grey gaze. She added _san_ because it was necessary to make that difference now. He couldn’t be “Gino” if he was going to treat her as if she was incapable. She might have made a lot of mistakes, and she might have deserved to be reprimanded… but he didn’t have to go this far. 

“I am aware that I’ve made some serious violations, but you are talking as if I were an enforcer already. _Controlling_ me? _Restraining_ me? I am not a dog, inspector. I don’t need a collar yet.” 

She put the cup in front of her, still facing him directly. “That aside, I am also a detective. Surely, not as capable as you are, but still, a detective. I would like to ask you to treat me accordingly... Ginoza-san.”

He leaned towards her over the table, closing his fingers on the surface.

“If you want me to treat you as an investigator… behave like one,” his words were sharp. This wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation from the start… but it wasn’t supposed to get this ugly either. 

She bit her lip, trying her best not to answer to that remark. He gave her another judgmental glare.

“Using a vehicle without automation. You could have caused the traffic trouble! If the traffic wasn’t managed by Sibyl, you could have even caused the traffic accident, as in those times before the improvement happened! Moreover, you haven’t waited for the paddy wagon with Enforcers. You haven’t been waiting for _me_. What has been going through that thick head of yours?” he asked. “You could have gotten yourself killed! And even if you hadn’t, your stress levels could have gotten so high that you could have jeopardized your hue! Do you ever think about your Psycho-Pass?”

_Do you ever think about me?_

“I do!”

She involuntarily raised her voice. Then, she inhaled, and toned it down. 

“That man… Kenzou Itou…wanted to kill that woman, Nozomi. I believed she was in such a grave danger… that I couldn’t have waited for a backup. I had to act, in order to save her life… because I wrongly believed her life was the one that was in danger. But, that wasn’t why I drove the car that fast. I estimated that the child was still in the house, and I wanted to reach there as soon as I could in order to extract him… and save his hue from deteriorating. I didn’t want him to end up like our enforcers… like Kagari. Latent criminal since the age of five. We almost ended up the same way, Gino!” she had to wipe out the tears from her eyes. 

Ginoza reached for his scanner, ready to check on her hue again. Her emotions may still get in the way and her coefficient may yet deteriorate. 

“Stop it, will you?!” Shizuka touched the button on his wrist-scanner, stopping him from activating it. Her face turned red, either from anger, or from embarrassment. He was surprised by her reaction. 

“Just how many times will you have to scan me? I am upset, but my hue won’t get clouded! I am a freak who can keep it clean on her own… remember?”  

He caught her trembling fingers, still over his wrist-watch. “Shizuka. Take it slow. Just… breathe.” 

She covered her face with her free hand. “I was wrong. I made all those mistakes… because I couldn’t realize it was Nozomi. I didn’t figure out that Kenzou’s hue was compromised because Daichi was already dead. Like a fool… I wanted to go there and help them… because, like I fool… I believed how a mother would never hurt her child! I simply made a wrong conclusion. The suppressants! I couldn’t even see that she used suppressants! I, of all people, should have recognized those symptoms! Daichi Itou… was strangled… by his own…” 

“Shizuka…” 

“By his own mother. And for what reasons?” she asked, unable to hold her tears. He rose from his seat as well… and walked towards her. 

“Because she was insane,” he said. “She was an insane and desperate woman.”

“She was. But, for a moment… I actually believed that Dominator malfunctioned.”

Gino seemed horrified with this statement. She still continued talking. 

“A Dominator… that I, of all people, know for sure cannot make a mistake. Does that make me… insane too?” she asked. 

“Even if you think so… don’t ever say it out loud. Ever again. Dominators are never wrong. It was due to chemical blockade that Itou woman used that Dominators haven’t read her number accordingly. She was crazy. There was no mistake on Sibyl’s part and you will never speak about this to anyone else. Especially to enforcers. Do you hear me?”

Now, he was just getting back to his strict, cold, usual self. 

“So… you do think that I am insane,” she was disappointed. She wiped her tears away and put herself together shortly after. Gino sighed.  

“You are just tired. You’ve been burning yourself out, and for that very reason, I have to check up on you regularly. It’s part of my job. And I am more than willing to scan you, and a thousand times a day if needed, if you are under so much stress that you risk clouding your hue like now. I will never allow, if I can do something about it… for your Psycho Pass to get compromised.” 

Scanning her? Allowing her… as if he was more concerned than she was for her own color. He hadn’t even realized how miserable he has made her feel in that moment.

He put his hand on her shoulder, in weak attempt of comforting her. He didn’t know how to hug people. It simply wasn’t in his nature. He was stiff, rigid, and he wasn’t able to be gentler towards people. She knew that even by going this far… Gino made an effort. 

And yet… it wasn’t enough. 

“You mean, compromised like Masaoka’s psycho pass did. Like Kogami’s did. You know, even if Sibyl hasn’t… you have already judged me. You are already thinking of me as of a latent criminal. What makes things even worse… you are already treating me as such.”

She was hurt by his words more than she thought she would be. 

“You think I am fickle. Weak. That my hue would go up any minute. You treat me like a child, not like a partner. However, Ginoza-san, let me ask you… when was the last time you’ve checked your crime coefficient?”

She turned her own scanner on and aimed towards Ginoza. His crime coefficient was 44. She scanned her own, and it has showed it was 37. 

“Maybe, just maybe… I am here for your sake, and not you for mine. Maybe I am supposed to look after you instead.”

He was surprised by this. Even hurt. But he hid it well under his cold expression.

“Here I am… doing all that I can to keep my promise to Hana… and to my own mother, being as it is. And yet, you are doing all you can to make things so difficult for me,” he said. 

As he removed his hand from her shoulder, his fingertips brushed against her hair. He could have done better to comfort her… but he wasn’t skilled enough. Masaoka would know what to say. Kougami would know what to say and do to make her feel better instead of insulting her without intent. Even Kagari, Karanomori or Kunizuka… could make her feel better about the whole situation in their own manners. And yet… he didn’t. He simply didn’t have anything to say because he believed she was fundamentally wrong.

“I’ve never asked for that. You owe nothing to my mother. Just because she was a friend to Sae… to your mom… doesn’t mean that you need to look over me like I am still some kind of a spoiled brat. I am my own person. We all make mistakes. It doesn’t mean that I am incapable and that you have to shoulder all the burdens while looking over me.” 

Ginoza looked down at her. 

“I am trying not to. But you insist on doing stupid things. Over and over. You might as well end up as a latent criminal. Just like Kogami. You are starting to resemble him. Every day, you act more like him. Very similar to how he was when his hue was deteriorating. Rushing in, without regarding for others. And just look how he ended up!”

“He was regarding us! He wanted to spare us! And save Sasayama! We all know what happened, but you are always bringing Kou up when you want to make an example out of enforcers as of dogs. But, you are forgetting one thing. Aside his number, he hasn’t changed. You call him beast, but he is all but. He is doing our work for us.”

He was irritated with her statement. 

“Our work? For us?” he repeated, and his voice got more unpleasant. “He obviously influenced you more than you are willing to admit. You are getting upset with me because you know I am right. Despite your perfect numbers… you are already half-way to becoming an enforcer. You are going the same path as they did… and it looks like you don’t even care.” 

His rage was hidden by his calamity. By his scorn. But she sensed it still.

“Your way of showing concern for my well-being… is really something,” she said. She was guilty for this, she had to remind herself. The way he is towards her now is just a product of chain of bad decisions she has made in the past. But, if she was being honest with herself... he wasn’t any better either. 

She grabbed her coat, putting it on. 

“My hue is my own responsibility, Ginoza-san. You don’t have to bother with what happens to it. I am going now. Thank you for the coffee.”


	3. Ripple Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her actions have consequences. What will Sibyl decide?

**PART 3 – Ripple Effect**

She didn’t sleep well that night. She was trying to, but what affected her mind even more than the case itself, was that talk she had with Ginoza. 

She was trying to justify her actions through logic: she followed the procedure, and it was Sibyl through Dominator that ultimately judged Nozomi Itou. Regardless, the manner in which Shizuka enacted that “justice”, was all but work of an inspector. Her cymatic showed her hue was healthy… but, deep down, she felt that what Nobuchika said… was probably right. She was risking her career by pulling the trigger of her own volition.

Nozomi Itou used suppressants and who knows what mixture of drugs to mask her real coefficient… and she would have avoided the detection of her true number, even if only temporarily. If Shizuka hadn’t arrived in time she arrived, the husband would have killed that woman and done them all a favor. But, he would end up as a latent criminal… no, a _real_ criminal… and he would have gotten killed. So, was it so bad that she acted the way she did? She turned in her bed, restless.

A man, killing his own wife… getting his hands dirty, and his hue clouded. Permanently as well. He would have been taken into custody, or worse… eliminated from existence. He was the victim, as much as his son was.

So, she wasn’t supposed to idly stand by while he was being consumed into Psycho hazard. She knew that then… and she couldn’t raise her Dominator to judge him. She knew he would surely die. That’s why she stopped Kogami from doing the same thing. Ginoza knew it as well, so he didn’t measure the man’s coefficient either.

But, she was the one to cause the initial chain of actions. And, the way Shizuka behaved in that moment… was the way enforcers would have behaved. And while she didn’t blame Masaoka, at all, or in any moment for paving the way… she was blaming herself. He showed her how, and she used that way to provoke the woman and raise her Psycho Pass. She was already so furious that she would do anything… anything to see that woman pay for her hideous, terrible crime. But, was it really up to Shizuka to decide?

No, she thought… of course not. No inspector should allow their emotions to cloud their objectiveness. Their rationality. And, in this case, she was compromised. By her own decision. She was going to be punished for it.

Despite following the procedure, Shizuka was the one deciding… the fate of that woman. Lethal eliminator activated when the value exceeded the coefficient of 300. But, if Shizuka hadn’t provoked the rise of her hue… maybe she could have been treated in some way. The facilities existed for those kinds of treatments. Maybe there, Nozomi could have worked with medical stuff on both her hue… and her sanity. But, by a single pull of that trigger, Shizuka took that possibility away. 

Maybe Sibyl’s verdict would have changed and maybe that woman could have recovered somehow. But, Shizuka’s “instinct”, or… whatever it has been… was telling her that she was dangerous… and that she shouldn’t be released. But that’s not how the things worked. She wasn’t supposed to think about it all. She wasn’t even due to fire a Dominator… any of present enforcers could have done so. But she fired the Dominator instead.

She wasn’t supposed to have the instinct; especially if it has been an instinct of an enforcer. She was supposed to be an inspector. That’s what Ginoza was trying to tell her, for her own good. For the first time in a long time, Shizuka felt insecure about the nature of her job… and her capacity of working for the bureau. As soon as she thought of it, she has reached for an old bottle of suppressants in the drawer of her night table. 

She squeezed the bottle in her hand, not opening it. She was just looking at it until the dreams finally rested on her eyelids.

\------------------------------------

The following day was hectic. 

In the morning, she tried to talk to Ginoza in order to apologize and make things less difficult between them… but the general meeting was brief and Gino was very formal. He told her he was taking enforcers in order to solve a smaller case and that her presence wasn’t be needed. They were about to arrest some people, and that was it. 

Before she could ask him for a few moments in private, he had already headed towards the exit. Masaoka just shrugged his shoulders, then smiled to Shizuka as he was accompanying Shepard 1 on his way out.

Kougami rose from his seat, taking the remaining pack of Spinel cigarettes and putting them in the pocket of his suit. He stopped before passing her by, placing his hand shortly over her shoulder.

“He will come around,” the enforcer said, in attempt to give her a small comfort. It was a short interaction… but it was enough to make her feel better.

She just nodded, briefly touching his hand before he removed it because he had to go. Their eyes met, and she felt the familiar sense of warmth, forming in her stomach. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. He just waved on his way out.

\-------------------------------

When she arrived at Shion’s lab, the pretty blonde was doing an analysis for Ginoza. Lady greeted her with a smile.

“You look awful, Aki-chan. Has something happened?”

Analyst has rarely seen Shizuka looking that bad. Inspector looked very tired… and very gloomy. Not even Shion’s relaxed tone could do much to improve her mood.  
Shizuka had dark circles around her already red eyes. She was probably crying. Despite the discrete layers of make-up, she hadn’t managed to cover the state she was in. The girl was depressed… and it wasn’t something that happened often. 

“I’ve just had… a meeting with Chief Kasei,” she admitted, then sat behind Karanomori, facing her large monitors. Shizuka was looking as Shion’s fingers, which elegantly danced over the top of her keyboard. After saving some holographic files and sending them to Gino, Shion turned to face Shizuka again.

“Oh, dear… that must have been unpleasant.”

“It was. I had to undergo a psychological evaluation in front of her. She insisted.”

Shion whistled. Another evaluation? Shizuka was usually a positive individual, despite the difficulty of her job. Seeing her becoming like this was… sad. Still, it was also to be expected since her position exposed her to high levels of stress.

“Right, right. Well. Has she found what she was looking for?” Shion was somewhat amused, because she assumed what Shizuka was about to say. 

“I guess not… since the consultant provided a professional opinion and has deduced that I wasn’t in danger. My crime coefficient has stabilized. I was very nervous, though.”

Shion was relieved to learn that her assumption was right. Shizuka was certainly growing as an investigator, but that also meant that her Psycho Pass was getting gradually clouded with each passing case. And while she was taking recommended therapies regularly and tried various manners of maintaining her hue (from suppressants and stress management activities, all the way to escapism), she recently needed additional treatment. She was taking supplements, which made her moody and has also affected her general behavior… so she gave up the medicament. It was dangerous to give them up, but she managed her hue in those… unusual ways of hers.

During her escapism episodes, the inspector was so absent that she was having trouble with focusing on real issues. This was also a threat to her hue… only from the opposite direction. 

Shion was wondering how Shizuka was successful in balancing all of it so far… especially since the recent developments have affected her more than her cymatic scan was showing. A child has died, and Shizuka was devastated. It should have reflected on her hue, but it hasn’t. That fact alone tormented the young inspector more than she was willing to admit.

“Okay, Aki-chan… then, let me guess the punishment. She is temporarily removing you from the position of detective and sending you back to Mechanical department,” Shion smiled.

“Not this time.”

Switching between Divisions was Sibyl’s way to provide diversity for Shizuka. That also helped with her stress management. Once she became too exposed to stress, she was being transferred to work on Dominators. Naturally, technical parts and mass production was managed by machines, but overlooked by people. They worked on improvement of the existing designs, and development of the future versions. Working there was making her think about practical things instead of the emotional damage she’s been facing. She used to work as an engineer for some time, trying to optimize the time and speed of firing the Dominators, and expanding the range of shots. Being an exemplary student, she ranked high and could work in several places. Sibyl decided to use her capacities for both.

“Was… Gino present at this meeting?” Karanomori was interested to hear about it.

“No… I was alone. But, chief read his report… my own report… and has seen footage from the crime scene. And drones, of course. I expected her to be sharp, but…”

But Kasei was sharper than sharp. She was strict. And she didn’t specifically like Shizuka’s methods.

“Poor dear. Are you okay?” Karanomori asked. The girl just nodded.

“I am. She’s warned me about my hue. They have their eyes on me, and it’s pretty much the same story as always. I was reprimanded from using the vehicle without Gino’s consent, from going after the suspect without the group… basically, for all the things Gino has warned me about. I’ve made some mistakes and I have to correct them.”

“And correct them… how?” Shion was genuinely interested.

“I am temporarily restricted from using Dominators… until I learn how to properly rely on my colleagues.”

“What?! You, an inspector… restricted from using one of your favorite toys?”

“I also have to bring at least one Enforcer with me while investigating crimes, and I always have to consult Ginoza before making a decision for the team. Kasei is really disappointed with me and is afraid I might stoop… to levels of enforcers and latent criminals. No offence.”

“None taken. But, you’ve been punished twice. Dominators are your main occupation, after all.”

Shion lit the tip of her cigarette and put the filter between her lips, always painted perfectly red. The smell of cigarettes filled the air.

“Does Ginoza know… about this arrangement that Kasei made?”

“I am not sure. We aren’t talking except it’s something regarding the job. Gino… is difficult to talk to.”

“Oh, I know. But he is also someone who has your best interests in mind,” Shion smiled. Shizuka didn’t. She was lost in thoughts.

“I am afraid… that his interests don’t involve cleaning my messes.”

“Now you sound like him."

Shion messed up Shizuka's perfectly combed bob. 

"Oi..." Akibara fixed her burgundy-dyed hair, trying to make it look as before. Shion actually missed her long braid, now cut due to practical reasons. She was a good looking woman - people just liked those brown eyes with just a pinch of an orange pigment. There was something appealing about this girl... Shion could tell what the fuss was all about... but not when Shizuka was wearing such a tormented expression.

"Hey, Aki-chan… don’t be so gloomy. Say… which enforcer will you chose? I bet I can guess in one take.”

“I don’t have to choose just one, I can still use the whole team. It’s just... in case that Gino is occupied…”

“Oh, come on, inspector, be honest with me. I thought we were sharing a special bond. That we were honest with each other. I was wondering… is this between you and Gino really about your jobs? Because, it seems to me that Gino has a frustration that needs to be released… and you might be the only solution to that problem.”

Analyst was now menacingly teasing, and Shizuka covered her face with her hand from embarrassment.

Shion was trying to cheer her up, but she was doing it the wrong way… the way that was funny only to Shion.

“Don’t start…” inspector was getting really ashamed. “Gino is… just…”

“Don’t say a friend. Just, don’t. The tension is there, I can feel it. Besides… you two are childhood sweethearts… aren’t you?” she smirked through the smoke of her cigarette.

“We are merely acquaintances. Nothing more. Trust me.”

In a way, that was truth. In the other, it wasn’t.

But, Shion didn’t have to know it all, because Shion would endlessly and shamelessly bring it up in front of others.

Shion liked to provoke her in order to get a reaction.

“If not Gino… then I was right about your other old flame, wasn’t I? After all, he is a man above all men to you. Even now, he’s your favorite enforcer…”

It has finally worked. Shizuka burst out with laughter. 

“Just… leave Kou out of it already, and leave me be. You are impossible.”

“And that’s why you love me,” Shion winked.

“I do. But, don’t let Kunizuka hear you,” Shizuka warned.

“If she does, _you_ will be in a big trouble,” the blonde joked again. Shizuka smiled softly. Yayoi wasn’t really a sharing type.

“I guess so. Don't worry, I shall do everything in my power not to tick her off.”

Sometime after, she's returned to her office to rearrange some files. There wasn't much that she could do now when she was punished, and when Gino takes half of the unit with him. She felt her hands were tied. 

But, she found some comfort in knowing the situation was just for the time being. She was going to wait patiently... and take care of her hue.

She may still get out of this as an inspector... after all.


	4. Fool's Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All wounds need to be tended.

**PART 4 – Fool's Paradise**

“Kougami, don’t let him escape!” she shouted with despair.

Her voice resonated through the acoustics of the factory, reaching everyone who was in the settlement. Both criminals… and her colleagues. But, she didn’t have time to be embarrassed about it. 

While she was dragging a hysteric, crying woman, forcing her to move forward, Kougami was running after their prime suspect since he was the closest to the fugitive. Kagari and Masaoka were still dealing with other criminals on the upper floor. Ginoza, who led them, barged in first.

Occasional blasts were seen as members of Division One were firing their Dominators. 

“Come on,” Shizuka urged the girl to hurry, but wasn’t able to move well herself. The wound on her own leg caused her a great deal of pain. She had almost gotten used to it, which was actually useful because the adrenaline rush gave her additional strength and will to drag the traumatized woman around. Regardless, her thigh was still bleeding, and the improvised wrap didn’t really help. The slash wasn’t too deep, but the incision will need the first aid kit as soon as possible. The danger of infection was high because the knife was dirty. 

The girl was sobbing, and was unable to make another move. 

“Please… just a little bit further… please,” Shizuka pled. She was so relieved to see Yayoi, who has arrived from the opposite direction.

“Akibara-san!”

“Kunizuka… take her out. Quickly!” Shizuka pushed the woman towards the enforcer. The enforcer grabbed her arm and pulled her on the extracting drone. She managed to drag the girl towards the exit, making her lean onto her for support.

“Inspector Akibara!” Kunizuka wanted to go back for Shizuka, who just shook her head. 

“Prioritize the victim, Yayoi! Do it!” _Dammit._

Akibara was trying to follow… but her leg was bleeding anew. She pressed the wrapper on her wound and walked, using the wall as the support. The upper floor was dangerously shaking. There was a great possibility that it would collapse. She was worried about Gino… and the enforcers that were still with him. Nevertheless, the suspect was about to escape.

Kagari tried to shoot from above with his Dominator, but failed to hit the criminal that Kougami was still running after. He looked at Masaoka. 

“Masaoka-san! He will run away!” 

The older enforcer shook his head, showing the low charge of his handle. The Dominator could fire only fire up four electromagnetic shots… and Masaoka used them all for other criminals. But, he still had an idea. He lifted an old, rusty barrel and dropped it down to make a barricade. That slowed the criminal down just enough… and bought the time for Kougami to shorten the distance between them. 

But, as Masaoka threw the object, an iron bar fell from the construction with a cling. The floor under Gino’s feet started creaking. It was impossible to stay up there any longer. Inspector called up his two enforcers, who were still transferring paralyzed people by putting them on moving drones.

“You two! Get down, quickly! The floor is about to collapse!” Ginoza warned. Masaoka and Kagari have both nodded, and started running down the stairs.

Ginoza was looking at Kougami, who was relatively near the suspect now. His aim was now within the range to read the criminal’s Psycho Pass.

The enforcer pointed out his Dominator towards the man, but he took a sudden turn, and changed the direction. And there was an issue with that.

“Shit!” Kagari yelled. 

Shizuka, who was still the nearest person to Kougami, stopped moving. The criminal took a diagonal path between Shizuka and Kougami, zig-zagging between the MWPSB members. 

“Akibara, turn around! RUN!” Ginoza shouted from above, bending over the iron construction to warn her. The next thing he did, was jumping over several metallic staircases just to get to Shizuka in time. She didn't want Ginoza to risk it. 

“I will be fine! Kougami, just shoot!” she yelled. She resisted the urge to press the wrap around her wound. That would make them worry even more. More than all that blood that was dripping down her leg.

“You are too close!” Kougami shouted, still reluctant to use the gun. 

“Enforcer, do as you are told!” her voice tore because she was screaming. “This is the only opportunity we will get!” 

“Kougami, what are you doing?! Are you out of your mind?!” Ginoza roared before she has even finished the sentence. Kougami gasped for breath, focusing his aim. 

_“Enforcement mode: Lethal Eliminator…”_

His eyes glowed turquoise after the Dominator changed its shape. 

“She is still within the range of the blast!” Ginoza was now frantically running towards them both.

“Shizuka! Nobuchika!” Masaoka's voice sounded the most worried at the time. 

“Kou... now!” she demanded. He was still hesitant. But, when their eyes met, he knew there was no way she would forgive him if this criminal escaped. She wasn't just Shizuka Akibara, his superior, guardian and his friend. This was his former partner at CID, working as Shepard Two... and he was very familiar with the strength of her principles, and knew just how stubborn that woman could be. 

_Shoot, enforcer…_

He waited just a second longer… and pulled the trigger in the moment when a pair of hands closed around Shizuka’s waist and forcefully pulled her away, extracting her just in time. 

Kougami’s Dominator sent a giant electromagnetic pulse throughout the factory, obliterating the criminal whose coefficient got so high that Sibyl’s final verdict was that there was no redeeming factor that could enable his return to society. Lethal Eliminator made a real mess out of their culprit. 

The blast pushed both inspectors away from their standing point. The blood splattered all over the floor, covering pieces of rust and decaying metal... and covering large parts of Shizuka’s suit, face and hair. Gino wasn’t looking much better. His glasses were broken, he was also covered in blood, his own Dominator dropped in the mess that was once a person… and he was still holding her against his chest and wasn’t letting her go. 

For a moment, she felt his warmth. In that very short moment, she wanted him to hold her like that forever. His hands were strong and reassuring, but his heart was now beating almost as fast as her own did.

“Gino…” she whispered. 

“You fool,” he said. “You just had to take that risk, hadn’t you?”

He released her, letting her go... and then stood up, still shaken from the risk his partner and his enforcer took. He seemed very troubled. 

“I am sorry…” she tried. 

“I don’t want to hear it. Write that in a report if you must,” he interrupted her roughly, having enough of her decisions. 

There’s going to be another unbearable meeting with chief. She had no doubt that Ginoza would have trouble with Kasei too because of her. 

She lowered her head down.

Ginoza just passed her by, not wanting to discuss anything further. He calmed himself down and activated his communicator. He used his professional tone, sounding stone-cold per usual. 

“This is MWPSB, Division One, Shepard One. I need an ambulance for several victims. Send us help…” he was making a call, giving their address and specifications. 

She felt someone approaching, and saw a pair of shining, black shoes. She didn't have to look up to recognize him. 

“Are you all right?” Kougami asked, taking a sit next to her. 

She wiped her eyes out, smearing the drops of hot liquid from her cheeks along the way. The stench of guts was hideous. She was still shaking, still unconsciously gripping her weapon, and trying to calm her breathing. 

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

She forced a smile, lifting her head to face him.

She was still gripping her secondary equipment, used in case when there weren’t any Dominators around. And since she was still prohibited from regularly using a Dominator, she had to use the replacing equipment. She wasn’t aware until that very moment that she was still holding the rod.

The handle was hot from strength of her grip, and her warmth. She put it aside, relaxing a bit.

“You did well, Kougami.”

“You are the one who did well, inspector. I was merely following your orders,” he said. 

She felt bad about using her rank to make him obey her. 

“Kougami... you have to know that I didn’t mean…” 

“You don’t have to explain anything.” 

He wasn’t unpleasant… on the contrary. She felt rather good around him. He never misunderstood her actions, or her intentions... and he has never complained about her way of doing things. Somehow, they understood each other very well, and ever since they've met, they were able to function well. 

He was always so different to Gino. 

“I am just glad it’s over,” she admitted. 

He leaned down, taking a look at her wound.

“Well... that looks bad.” 

“It’s nothing…” 

“Let me see.” 

“Kou, really… it’s nothing…” 

He put his fingers over the texture of fabrics that was covering the wound. He was gentle, but his touch still made her nervous. That hasn't changed either between them. 

“You are always pushing it. It will end badly for you one day, you know?” he made a remark, unwrapping her upper thigh. 

“Like it did for you?” she uttered. She was still a little bit angry… about his demotion… but she was also still immensely respecting him as an inspector. She also couldn't blame him. Some things will never change for the two of them, even if they have changed for him and Ginoza. 

“That… or worse,” Kougami concluded. He removed his cravat, untying it and putting it around the place where the knife tore the skin. He tied it up above the incision, ignoring the new splash of blood that flowed. 

“How much does it hurt?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” she stubbornly persisted. 

“It’s bound to get worse. I need to clean it,” he warned her in advance. He tore her trouser leg in order to make it easier to reach the incision. The first aid kit has just arrived via drone, so Kougami grabbed the handle, and opened the case. He was going to disinfect that slash by alcohol. 

She didn't like it, knowing it would hurt... but she nodded. It was necessary. 

His hands felt warm against her bared skin. She was looking at his focused expression, at those blue eyes, lowered down to her bloody wound. Then, those eyes looked up… and her heart skipped a beat. He knew, she thought… he looked her that way precisely because he knew. 

She was returning that same look, giving it a few seconds before she has given up, and changed the subject of her attention to his lips instead. It hasn't been much better. Corners of his mouth moved as if he would smile. For a moment, he did. It was brief. Then, he turned back to fixing her. 

The burning sensation spread all over the torn skin as the gauze crawled over the mash of blood and skin. She bit her lip, fighting tears, but she didn’t wince, and hasn’t made a sound. 

Kougami removed all, then put some clean bandages, tying them tightly around the place that was still sensitive. It will take time for this one to heal. 

They were both silent, and remained silent throughout the whole process. After he’s seen it through, he pulled out his pack of Spinel, and took a cigarette out.

“You are sometimes a reckless risk taker. It really… frightens him.” 

He was referring to Ginoza, who was now helping the rest of the victims to the ambulance vehicles which were parked in front of the factory. 

“Funny… that you are the one calling me a risk taker,” she remarked. 

He rubbed his eyes with tips of his fingers, thinking about what happened. 

“I almost regretted pulling the trigger,” he admitted. 

She knew that. She could see the fear in his eyes prior to his decision to trust her and having to do what he was ordered to do. 

"I am alive. Everything turned out well,” she said. Kougami wasn't so sure. 

“He almost didn’t make it in time,” he exclaimed. “That shot could have been fatal. Gino was rightfully worried.”

“Well… I hoped you’d still fire away, despite what Gino was saying. That criminal… needed to be stopped, even if it meant sacrificing one inspector in order to obtain that objective.” 

_That man_ … was a head of an organization that was doing human trafficking. They were deporting young women and selling them to other countries as slaves. That man was using a fake ID, and his crime coefficient was digitally modified to appear acceptable to street scanners. Yayoi was the one who has uncovered the code, and discovered the whole network of information that presented enough evidence to make a move against them. 

“One inspector like you is worth a hundred of criminals like him. It's hardly a good calculation,” Kou dragged another smoke, enjoying the taste. 

“You are doing it again,” she said.

“Doing what?”

“Stating something as fact while knowing it's completely illogical.”

“Just take that compliment, Akibara.”

“Oh. Thank you, Kou.” 

There were thirteen girls… held as hostages by nine men who were using devices to fool scanners. Also, the criminals used underground tunnels to move around, which made harder for scanners to identify them or the victims in the first place.

More than half of those women were already so badly hurt… that their Psycho Passes were clouded, and their Crime Coefficients have risen beyond repair. Shizuka was aware that no therapy could help them now. Some of them will spend the rest of their lives behind the rehabilitation glass, confined to cells. 

“Say, inspector… are you still taking your therapy?” 

Kougami was curious about the current manner she was managing her hue with.

“No. I am maintaining the color simply… trough escapism.” 

He inhaled, then exhaled the smoke. He was thinking about it. 

“Indulge me… if I am not asking too much. What have you imagined this time?”

She was looking at his hand… his fingers… and his lips. There was just something about Kou and the cigarettes that made perfect visual combination. 

“That we’ve made it in time. That none of them was beaten… or raped. That they remained safe… and that this was just a nightmare they would wake up from any minute.”   
She hugged her knees. “I gave my best… to picture them without bruises. With no damage. They were smiling… and were happy."

“And… did it work?” Kou asked. She forced another smile… but he knew her all too well. 

He has gotten his answer in from of all the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. She was trying to speak normally, but her voice was shaking. 

"Whenever I am entering that kind of self-deluding trance... I am entering a fool's paradise. You know... I actually convince myself that everything is okay. I am happy for these girls because I believe they will be happy, even after all of this. But, I am a liar, Kou... because the only person I am making happy is myself. By maintaining my hue." 

She showed him the color of it. It was turquoise, even then.

"That fool's paradise... is what keeps you sane. It's better to enter it if it helps you," he simply answered. "Don't beat yourself so much over it. Your hue will indeed get clouded if you keep on thinking like that." 

"I am aware. Just like I am aware that those girls won't be okay. They will probably spend the rest of their lives in rehabilitation facilities. Surely, some of them will get better. Even recover. But, some of them never will. It's terrible... and I am terrible... for having this ability. Remaining clear under these circumstances... just make me..."

"Sensible. Don't give in. It's good you are able to detach from reality when reality is too harsh. I wish... I could do the same when the occasion presented itself. But, I couldn't... and here I am. Don't think of it as of a bad thing." 

She tried to prevent another sob, but it has shaken the upper part of her body. 

“Kougami…” she whispered, barely audibly. 

“I know. Come.” 

He just hugged her, and let her vent it all out. She was sobbing into his shirt, and he let her, gently stroking her hair along the way.

“Cry, inspector. Cry for as long as you'd like.”


	5. Common Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginoza and Akibara are trying to compromise.

**PART 5 – Common Ground**

Since they have dealt with such a grave crime, and on a large scale... they had to get a collective evaluation after the whole incident ended. 

Psycho Hazard was still threatening to contaminate the mental states of everyone in Division I, so inspectors had to go through the checkups, as well as the Enforcers. 

To avoid crowding Karanomori's lab, they were getting in two groups. First group was led by Ginoza, who took Kunizuka and Kagari, leaving the second group – consisted of Masaoka and Kougami - with Shizuka. The first group finished their examination rather quickly, allowing the second group to proceed with theirs. 

As Masaoka and Kougami entered the lab, Ginoza and Kunizuka went out, passing Shizuka by as they were leaving for the day. 

“Inspector Ginoza… may I have a word?” Shizuka asked.

“Make it quick, inspector Akibara,” he was still giving her a cold treatment. She led him away from the entrance. 

“How long are you going to keep this up?” she wanted to know. Gino gave her _the_ look. 

“Keep _what_ up, inspector?” he asked. She inhaled deeply. 

“This. Being this… unpleasant towards me.”

She was thinking about how to say this to him. She was preparing herself to have this conversation for a while… but she didn’t have the opportunity until just now.

“I know you want to keep it professional, and that we haven’t been amicable for a long time… but ever since I’ve joined your division, you’ve been acting like I am some kind of a junior inspector that can’t bring her own decisions. It has to stop, Ginoza-san. We don’t have to be friends, but you have to learn that I am your partner… well, at least for now… and that you can rely on me, and my judgement.” 

He crossed his arms. 

“Your judgment often gets you in a position where you might get killed. Before you say our job is of that nature, let me remind you that every case we’ve had… was a risk that you shouldn’t have taken. An inspector shouldn’t take a risk that an Enforcer is due to do. It’s the whole point of having Enforcers in a first place.” 

It’s not like he didn’t have a point. But, she had a point too. 

“Ginoza-san… I’ve told you before. I am very grateful to you for saving my life. The last case was a tough one. But, in time of distress I brought a decision that would benefit the system. My own life wasn’t a priority. Apprehending that criminal was of an absolute importance since so many people fell victims to Psycho Hazard. It was of the utmost importance to catch him. You, as a fellow inspector… should have known that much.” 

He frowned. 

“I was aware. Still, I believe your decision was an extreme one. Kougami would manage to kill, or wouldn’t manage to kill that culprit… but, regardless, you have foolishly put your life on the line. I can’t fathom how easily you’d just… give it up. We could have found and chased that criminal some other time. At some other place. It wasn’t as helpless of a situation as you’ve estimated it to be. We have the best analysts that could have traced him anywhere in Japan. There were so many other options, and yet… you’ve disregarded them all for an immediate, and the most absurd solution – putting your life at the ultimate risk. It was reckless. It was rash. That’s why I can’t rely on your judgement.” 

She sighed. Will they ever see the things the same way?  

“My judgement was synchronous with Sibyl’s. You are the one who wasn’t following the standard procedure, inspector. You would have let the criminal escape on account of saving my life. That’s foolish as well.” 

He seemed perturbed. 

“A life of an inspector of MWPSB means more than life of any criminal.” 

“Had the situation been different, and you were in my place… you’d have told Kougami to shoot as well,” she remarked. “Don’t try to deny it, Nobuchika. I know you too well.”   
He was getting angry. 

“The only difference in our situations would be that I would know that we would have another attempt to catch the man, hence I wouldn’t order Kougami to shoot. I would wait for another opportunity,” he stubbornly claimed. But, like she said… she knew him all too well. He wouldn’t regard his own life if he could help with capturing the criminal. He was just burdened… because it was her that had to make that kind of choice. 

“For once in your life, even hypothetically, admit that I may be right and take my scenario into consideration. Had the situation been irrevocable, you would have ordered Kougami to shoot. Am I right?” she insisted. 

“In that case, I’d do the same thing as you. I won’t deny that. However, I still disagree. That time wasn’t the only chance we’d gotten for apprehending him. Like I’ve told you… we have resources to trace anyone. We have Enforcers. We didn’t have to take the risk of sacrificing a colleague simply to get a criminal that would appear again.” 

“Must you always argue with me? Nobuchika, the case was a success. Why are you being so difficult?” she had to sort this out for good. “Just… please. Listen to me.”  
She desperately wanted him to understand.

“Please. We wouldn’t get to him had he escaped, because he was a human trafficker and he had resources to go outside of Japan… and far from Sibyl’s verdict.” 

“You can’t be sure of that,” his response was austere.  

“You are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine. I believe it was our only shot… so I am glad that Kougami took it,” she declared.

“You are, aren’t you? That the hound has obeyed. That he followed your order.”

Ginoza’s expression was as cold as ever… his tone as cold as ever… and his words as bitter as ever. He will never get over some things, but she still couldn’t blame him for those. 

For his behavior, however… 

“I am glad he did,” she leaned towards her partner, facing him. “I am glad he could see things my way. You know, he always did. He always supported me and understood me better than you ever did, despite you being the one who knew me for the biggest part of my life. I thought you were my friend, but friends trust each other and support each other. They don’t doubt each other at every turn.” 

“I have to doubt you. You always put yourself in danger. You always take risks. He used to be like that too… so maybe that’s why he understands you so well. Maybe that’s exactly why you’ll end up like him,” he bitterly noted. 

“And what if I do? It’s my life. You don’t have to act like my guardian angel just because my mother asked you to do so. It’s been over ten years now. Get over it already. I know I have,” she said angrily. His eyes widened a bit. 

“Hana’s dying wish was for me to take care of you, for the sake of that friendship we used to cultivate… back when we were young. Even now, when I am trying to honor that wish, you are being a brat whose only concern is to get her own way. To compete with me, to challenge my own perspective, to side with Enforcers… and risk that very life she pleaded me to save. You are ungrateful. You are thanking me for saving you, but you are ungrateful. Get over it, you are saying?” 

He slammed his fist into the wall next to Shizuka. She recoiled. He practically yelled at her. 

“You have gotten over it? Then, why are you still seeking my approval? Asking me to understand things from your point of view? If you have found another guardian angel, then why is it so important to hear what I have to say, what I think or do?”

Shizuka was still defiantly staring at him, controlling her own rage.

“It’s probably a habit,” she hissed. 

“One thing we could agree on. Still, I think it’s about something else.” 

Gino lowered his head to face her, getting very close to his partner. 

“Her wish still affects you too. I am not the only one who’s burdened by her request. You are too, despite saying what you are saying and finding another you can confide in, rely on, and depend on so well. You are taking care of me, I am taking care of you, and he is taking care of us both. So… befitting, isn’t it, Shizuka? You always get what you want. Don’t you?” the rage clearly sprouted from his voice. 

“Is this still about our jobs, or about something else?" she asked. He gritted his teeth. 

"I wonder that myself." 

"You consider him a hound. You question both of our decisions. You are angry, and you are full of disdain, thinking you’ve gotten everything right and we’ve gotten everything wrong, but we are siding with one another because of our… past ties. But, let me tell you something.”

“Enlighten me, Akibara.” 

“While he was my CID partner, he has never called me a fool, or doubted my judgement. He was always kind, considerable and always easy to talk to. That's what makes partner... a partner. He has never underestimated me or thought my ways were wrong just because they differed from his own.”

“I guess this is where you emphasize that I am not like him in any way and that I have to reconsider my general behavior.”

“You really ought to,” she was harsh this time too.

“And you need to separate your personal feelings from your job. But again, it’s useless to ask you to do so, because all you do all of this time, is mixing the business and personal emotions since the very moment you’ve entered the MWPSB.” 

She grabbed his collar. 

“That's low even for you.” 

“Why? Am I wrong?” he asked, gripping her own wrist. 

“You are wrong quite often, actually,” she squeezed the fabrics of his coat, clenching her teeth. 

“But your old partner Kougami isn’t?” he rubbed the salt in the old wound. “He has never disappointed you. He has never made you cry your eyes out… or ever made you question your line of work. He has never made you miserable,” he mocked.

“So, that’s how it is. This is not personal only for me… but also for you. And there I was… a fool… who believed you’ve gotten over it all. Kogami’s demotion still hurts you… the way it still hurts me. We have both felt desperate and betrayed… but it’s only you who is behaving like an asshole to someone who was once so dear to you.” 

“And you are being a saint. He’s merely an Enforcer now... but you are giving him all the comfort he needs, aren’t you?” Ginoza remarked. “After all, you have that mutual understanding that surpasses Inspector-Enforcer relationship."

She wanted to slap him. She has let go of his collar instead.

“Are you implying something, Ginoza-san?” she openly asked.

“You can't tell what I am implying?” he insolently revised. 

“All I can manage to decipher from it is your envy,” she poked another old wound as well.

“Envy? Of what, his demotion? He only has himself to blame for that. Besides, isn’t that the very thing that has nearly ruined both of you?”

_No, all the three of us? But no. It was more than his demotion._

She has bitten her tongue to prevent herself from retorting. Instead, she just said:

“The way you treat someone really tells a lot about you, inspector… especially in regards of how you treat those beneath you,” she remarked. 

“I treat them accordingly. No better or worse to how they’ve deserved,” he stepped away, aware only then of how close he’s gotten to her.

“Are you sure? Because, nor Masaoka nor Kougami have deserved your rigid behavior. For once, neither have I. Think about it the next time you open that mouth of yours.”

She has walked towards the lab, hoping that Masaoka and Kougami have both finished their checks by now. A hand grabbed her own, and she has turned to face him. 

Ginoza has gotten to his senses… and back to his practical self. 

“We’ve gotten too far, you and me. We are both proud… so we were both behaving immaturely. It needs to stop.” 

She wanted to tell him it was him who was immature. It would be futile… so she didn’t. 

“What are you suggesting?” she asked instead.  

“I will respect your decisions from now on. And you will respect mine. We won’t get into each other’s way… and we will try to compromise. But, you need to be ready to listen. I will be ready as well.” 

He offered his hand to her. She accepted, and shook it. 

“That’s all I have ever wanted. Let’s give it a try.” 

He has shortly held her hand in his own, before letting it go. 

“How were their checkups?” she wanted to know. “Kagari’s and Kunizuka’s?” 

“Unchanged,” he stated, “they aren’t in danger.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“I have to treat my own for a while, but it's nothing serious. I will be fine.” 

“I am glad,” she was sincere. “I was worried, despite of what you might think.” 

Ginoza gave her one tired look before leaving the hall. “I know, Shizuka. I know you still care."

She was surprised he admitted as much. He sighed. 

"Note me about your results as soon as Karanomori finishes with you.” 

She nodded, then grabbed the handle, entering the lab.


	6. Stress Management

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just how do you relieve your stress? 
> 
> Chapter is also posted on my DA page: https://www.deviantart.com/galateabellator/art/PP-COPING-MECHANISMS-Stress-Management-pt-6-796128039

PART 6 - Stress Management 

Masaoka was just finishing his checkup when she appeared in the lab. He walked towards the inspector, putting his overcoat on. 

“May I be excused, missy? I have finished with my duty for the day,” the old enforcer noted. 

“Of course, Masu-san. Please, have some rest. These cases have significantly affected all of us,” she has returned the smile. 

They’ve come a long way… the old detective and her. She used to be afraid of him when she was a girl, but now… he was the closest thing to a father that she had. Nobuchika was still upset with how carelessly she was spending her time with enforcers… with Masaoka included. 

To Shizuka, Tomomi was a protector figure that she could almost always rely on. He was always silent and observant, and ever so capable and wise. She often relied on him to solve the cases she couldn’t quite comprehend. She sometimes wished… that Gino wasn’t so hard on him. 

Still, she understood Ginoza as well… witnessing his struggle of being a child of a latent criminal during their childhood. He was bullied out of fear of those who believed he would somehow affect or damage their hues by solely being close to them. 

She understood both the father and the son. It was a difficult relationship, but Ginoza and Masaoka were trying to live the best way they could – one as an investigator, and the other as a latent criminal. Masaoka gave her a warm smile. 

“Will do, Shizuka. Take care. Kou…” 

Kougami, who was buttoning his shirt up in that moment, looked at both of them. 

“Don’t let her do all the hard work out there. We are Enforcers. It’s our job.” 

Shizuka and Kougami were working the second shift, so Kougami was going to wait for her until she finished her medical exam. The Enforcer smiled at his senior. 

“Sure, pops. Don’t worry. Inspector Akibara will be safe with me, and her hue won’t get affected if there’s anything I can do about it,” Kou simply responded, taking his cigarette pack out.

A sly smile formed on Shion’s face. She was hunting Shizuka’s reaction, but the later just rolled her eyes, getting flustered at her colleague’s expectation. 

Karanomori loved to see her upset around Kougami… and she enjoyed the teasing too much to leave the inspector alone. 

“Just… revert from firing Dominators if she’s standing too close and everything will be fine,” Masaoka waved at all of them as he walked through the exit.

“Oh, come on…” Shizuka uttered. “Like father…” 

His steps echoed throughout the hall. 

Before returning her gaze towards the monitor, her eyes unintentionally grazed Kougami - who was apparently still looking directly at her. Having him so focused at her… was always intense. At this point, it wasn’t supposed to be... but she still couldn’t get over it. And yet… she kept looking. She won’t be the first one to avert her eyes. 

It was a game, really. An old game between the two… and she won’t lose this time either. 

“Aki-chan... here. Sit. Let’s do the tests,” Shion called. Shizuka sat on the leather chair, which was still warm because Kougami was previously sitting on it. Inspector removed her coat and waited for Shion to give her a helmet scanner. 

Cymatic scan determined that Shizuka’s pupils were responding normally. Her eyesight and hearing were good. All of her inner organs were functioning properly as well. She had no fractures, her blood pressure was stabilized and her reflexes were mostly all good – except for the leg, which still gave her some trouble if she run. Other than that…

“I can’t believe your hue is cyan, Aki-chan,” Shion smiled, slightly surprised after seeing Akibara’s color. “Feel free to tell Gino to stop pestering you.” 

“Cyan,” Shizuka repeated softly. Just that morning, it was forest green… slightly better comparing to day before, when it was yellow-green. Too see it turn so rapidly to cyan... definitely felt like she somehow managed to cheat the system. 

“Seriously, Aki-chan… how do you do it?” Kagari, who was still in the lab after the check-up with Ginoza and had to rest for a awhile after his examination - wanted to know. While her cyan wasn’t an ideal shade, it was still good, and a healthy one. 

“Despite being clouded, your hue is still one of the clearest among us all. And yes, I know we are Enforcers… so our colors weren’t affected since we are used to criminal ways. Yours and Ginoza’s hues… on the other hand… were supposed to get pretty stained, and your numbers through the roof. No offence.” 

“None taken. Well… Gino has already taken his therapy. Unlike him, I have given the sessions and meds up… so I am doing this in a standard way for me - through escapism. It takes practice, but it’s efficient during critical situations. Other than that… I’ve been trying meditation. It helps,” she elaborated. 

Kougami was aware of Shizuka’s ability to do her own psychological restoration, but he didn’t expect to see her results to turn this good this soon either. He was glad to see she didn’t stoop to Psycho Hazard. Both her… and Gino. 

Shion completed the analysis of inspector’s whole medical condition and saved the data. Shizuka was glad to know everything returned to normal.

“Meditation?” Kagari was curious still, rising his eyebrows. “I’ve been trying, but I can’t say it was effective for me. And, escapism… I’ve tried that as well while I was still in a rehab center. It was a long time ago, and I was still a child. It was an experimental procedure… and I couldn’t adapt to the method. It worked in the beginning, but… after the first incident, my crime coefficient has rapidly risen. I couldn’t risk endangering it further, so I stopped using it altogether,” Kagari admitted. 

Kougami, who was familiar with both manners, just remained silent and started smoking his second cigarette. Shizuka sighed. 

“I know… it’s not a standard procedure. My therapist said that I do that instinctively, so I had it easy adapting to it. It’s a normal reaction to me. But, it takes practice to reduce the number once it goes up. Escapism, as a form of treating Psycho Pass, is tricky - just like you said. Method varies from person to person.” 

“I’ve tried many things, Aki-chan. But, no matter how many times I tried to override some scenes, I simply didn’t have the ability to live them as if they were real. Not like you do. And, as far as I can tell… Kou or Shion can’t either,” Kagari noted.

Shion nodded. “Indeed. I am afraid I lack imagination. But, Aki-chan seems to have an abundance of it.”

“It’s both a curse and a blessing,” the inspector admitted. 

“Kou, what about you? Have you ever tried it?” Kagari asked.

“Didn’t work for me either,” Kougami stated, exhaling the smoke. 

God knows he needed that to work when he was in distress. But, Shizuka seemed to be the only one who could cope with that mechanism. 

The girl wanted to console Kagari. 

“That’s because you are all too rational, Shu-kun. Not to mention that, as a latent criminal, you’ve probably seen more stressful things comparing to what I’ve experienced. In addition, I am what you’d call… a self-deceiver.”

Shizuka removed the helmet, handing it to Shion... and has put her wrist scanner on afterwards. 

“Self deceiver?” Kagari raised an eyebrow. 

“As you must already know, it’s a term the psychology uses to describe people who have the ability to disconnect from reality at given time. It’s useful for as long as it isn’t too consuming… and as long as it doesn’t affect the general mental state. The difficulty is to tell what’s real in the moment when you get back from the state of detachment.” 

Kougami frowned. Kagari was still puzzled. 

“Yeah, but how can you be a self-deceiver… if you are aware of it?” 

“There’s no simple answer to that. I am aware that I am getting in that state even when I get into that state… but I manage to persuade myself in order to manage my own hue. I force myself to imagine the other version of events… and so, by instinct, I do. It’s learned and practiced technique,” Shizuka explained. She has put her jacket over her shirt.

“Does it always work?” Kagari leaned towards, interested in the manner itself.

“It doesn’t work all the time, since self-deception usually happens on the subconscious level. According to psychology, it happens in order to help the person fulfill a certain goal and maintain psychological balance,” she remarked. “So, while I am self-deceiving, I am deliberately shutting down the part of myself… that part which is immersed in momentarily reality.”

“Still… is it really possible to manage hue that way?” the redhead Enforcer didn't seem persuaded. 

“For me, yes. Because, for about a few short moments, I manage to neglect the real events in order to stay psychologically healthy. I know it doesn’t make much sense when I explain it like that. However… it’s just how my mind works. I’ve been taught that method from the age of nine, so… it’s partially a habit now. Also, being a child also helped with imagining things, so… I had active imagination which helped clearing my hue.” 

Kougami silently watched her talking. 

“Must be dope to have that kind of self-control. It is almost a mental ability. You must be very strong in terms of your mind… when you can keep your hue clear simply through that,” Kagari noted. 

“I am not using the escapism all the time… only when the situations get too drastic and there’s not a way for me to normally cope with it,” she explained. “Sometimes, I simply have to use suppressants… and at the other times, I just need to get to an activity that would put my mind at ease… such as training… or sketching. Drawing.” 

“I don’t see how drawing Dominators would make you feel relaxed,” Kagari pointed out, considering them to be useful, but not so visually interesting. 

“It’s the structure that’s appealing, not its function. I love to arrange mechanical parts, the circuits, the electromagnetic insulators. It’s like a game, actually. A mental, distracting game,” she smiled. 

“Games, that I can understand. Escapism… not so much. How did you manage to master it anyway? And, isn’t it risky? Don’t you get confused about what’s real and what’s not?” 

“Of course. Well, I can’t speak for others; I can simply speak out from my own experience. I’ve suffered very traumatic event in my youth. When I was a child, my coefficient has risen to a critical level. In the rehabilitation facility, my crime coefficient was rapidly increasing and it almost surpassed the limit. Everyone thought I was lost… and they were basically preparing me to a confinement. It was a long struggle.” 

Shizuka didn’t like to recall those memories, partially because of Kagari’s own situation. She stopped, but the young Enforcer seemed untroubled. 

“Don’t worry about my feelings, Inspector,” he smiled, “after all, I am just an Enforcer.”

“It's not about that at all. Just something I don't like recalling.” 

Kougami knew why. Both him and Ginoza did. 

Kagari crossed his hands at the back of his head. “Aki-chan… since we are talking sincerely about it… what was your highest crime coefficient?” 

Shion turned towards Shizuka, slowly burning her cigarette. 

She was estimating Shizuka’s reaction regarding this question. The inspector was unable to look in Kougami’s direction now. What was surprising... was that Kougami averted his eyes from her too. 

“My highest recorded number… was 98.2. In reality, it was even higher… it has risen to 112 for a few seconds after a specific case. I was lucky to manage to reduce it before cymatic scans could transmit it publicly. I was immediately transported to rehabilitation center, and found out that it wouldn’t get down from 98.2. It was really worrying. In that very moment, I believed I was lost. And in that moment, my mental state was so shattered that I wasn’t able to distract myself. My emotions took over, and the consequences lasted for about a month. During that time, I was confined to MWPSB and went through medicament treatment and the prescribed therapy until my Psycho-Pass got completely restored. Had I not been taking the therapy… I would have become one of you. And I don’t mean it in disrespectful way,” she explained. 

“I remember. It was a tough one,” Shion recalled as well. “However… the coefficient of our Inspector rapidly dropped and the verdict of Sibyl was… that Aki-chan was competent to go back to the field again. They estimated she was facing… a temporal distress. Just like we were facing the lack of Inspectors.”

Kagari stretched into his seat. 

“You inspectors are really blessed by the system, getting so many second chances. We, latent criminals, would probably just get shot on the spot… and no one wouldn’t even bat an eye.” 

She felt terrible about his statement, all due to fact that he was absolutely right. Still, she wanted to comfort him. 

“That’s not true. Given my experience… I would try to get you back,” Shizuka said. “It’s good to be surrounded by people who would protect you no matter what. I aspire to be that kind of Inspector since I was lucky I had someone by my side in my time of need. Thankfully, I haven’t turned into the latent criminal back then… and it was due to swift action of a fellow colleague."

It was a disaster... but she was the one who was lucky to dodge the Psycho Hazard. 

“How so?” Kagari asked. 

“In a bit of… a rough way, really. Had I not been knocked unconscious… my coefficient would have gotten incurably high,” she explained. “It hurt like Hell and it felt like my head was split in two. I was punched by the metal handle of Dominator, you see. Afterwards, I managed to get my hue in order. Not immediately, but all’s well that ends well… right?” 

She could feel the intensity of Kou’s eyes on her again. Shion just sighed, exhaling the smoke. 

“Did the recovery process involve a lot of meds?” Kagari couldn’t drop the topic. 

“It did. I was taking a lot of pills those days,” Shizuka wrapped her arms around her torso. 

_Until very recently, actually._

She was addicted to pills for some time… which almost caused her an EU stress deficiency. After almost getting in coma, Shizuka has given up all the pills altogether. 

Now, she was somewhere between the escapism and other coping mechanisms... and pill withdrawals.

Shion typed some sentences in her digital file about Shizuka. 

“Aki-chan... I’ve always wondered if the reason you chose Psychological studies… was because of your own case, or simply because were you interested in the psyche of others as well”.

“It’s… a bit of both, actually.” 

Shion took a smoke, leaving another print of red lipstick on the filter.

“I wish I could understand that escapism of yours. But, all that self-deceit… is so confusing,” Kagari concluded. 

“People are usually never aware of the fact that they are deceiving themselves. As soon as someone tries to unfold the truth to them, many of them become defensive… and even aggressive,” Shion explained. 

“Indeed,” Shizuka said. “I used to be like that as a child. That’s why my hue was in such a state… and in that danger. But, I’ve realized that, when my therapist verbally painted vivid pictures in my mind… that I felt at ease. The more she spoke… the better I felt. I was imagining things… right as she was speaking. And, strangely enough… it had a positive impact on my psycho pass. Almost like… self-meditation, or… slipping into an alternate reality with the different outcome. An outcome I actually believe in for a few moments… so that I can come to terms with what happened in my own reality. However unusual… that method keeps my hue clear. Mostly.” 

“It’s a double edged sword, though. Peaceful images, but also violent ones… must appear very intensely to you,” Kagari remarked. Shizuka nodded. 

“Indeed. They do, even now. But, when the bad ones start appearing, I am doing my best to invoke contra-images, sort to say. And that’s when the real struggle happens. Think of it as… a thermometer whose mercury is rising or falling down rapidly, depending on the situation. It takes a while to stabilize.”

“Given those circumstances, shouldn’t have that provoked… even bigger amount of stress, and made you a latent criminal already?” Shusei theorized. 

“You know… Shinya asked the same thing,” Shizuka smiled softly at Kougami this time, recalling one of their many conversations. “I think I was supposed to become a latent criminal a long time ago. I was just... lucky that I didn’t.”

And, by admitting that... she had to see that Ginoza was right. Always right about her. 

Like he read her mind, Kougami joined the conversation. 

“You are too positive to start thinking like a criminal, despite facing the difficulties. For one, I am glad you’ve mastered the method that prevents your hue from getting clouded,” he simply stated. 

“Well, since you haven’t become one yet… it must be due to your unique psyche. You are self-proclaimed self-deceiver, but at the same time, you are aware that you are deceiving yourself. It’s an amazing combo,” Shion remarked. 

“I think that everyone is aware, at least to some point… that they are lying to themselves. My advantage is simply… in knowing how to use it. I see what I want to see in order to avoid the gruesome truth. But, that ability and that visualization hardly last forever. Once I turn into a latent criminal… which is just a matter of time now… I might be long overdue for lethal eliminator. And that’s the catch with this kind of therapy. It’s risky… and that outcome is inevitable.”

“You can’t be sure about that,” Kougami retorted. 

Kagari didn’t have to verbalize his question. She saw it in his eyes.

“See… I’ve done this psychological analysis even when I was on the academy. I’ve asked this question before. Is this even worth the effort, practicing this way of hue management? Because, it’s just… like living a time bomb inside of you that is about to explode. My number could easily exceed the scale due to suppressed stress. Don’t get me wrong… I mean, anyone’s Psycho Pass is. But this is tricky… because it stabilizes first… but jumps higher later on. So, I am aware of all the possible scenarios… and I am trying to accept them all. I simply want to give my best while I am still working for the bureau. I want to help to as many people as I can… and if I can, that is.” 

To be fair, everyone else’s crime coefficient could be regarded as a ticking bomb. But, to some people, Shizuka was a psychological phenomenon because she lasted so long.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Kagari asked, now completely serious. She nodded. 

“Of course. But, I am doing my best to fight it for as long as I breathe.” 

None of the present Enforcers spoke for about ten seconds. 

“That’s admirable, inspector,” Kagari smiled. 

“Not really,” Shizuka shrugged her shoulders. “I was simply… curious. I wanted to be able to figure out why I am different to other people who can’t manage their Psycho Passes through this method. I also wanted to uncover secrets of human behavior. The way they were thinking. Their motivation for acting. The way they were behaving… to themselves, but also towards the others. Human minds… are really fascinating.” 

“Indeed. Especially those beautiful minds of escapists,” Kagari rose from his seat. “Well… time for me to go, inspector. I hope we have another chat as this sometime soon.” 

She smiled. "I hope so too, Shuu-kun. Rest." 

He grinned. Then, he left the room. 

“Shall I take the vehicle, inspector?” Kou asked. They were supposed to go outside to work. 

“Yes. I will join you in a minute,” Shizuka said, giving him the keys for authorization. Kougami was going to wait for Shizuka at the parking lot before they leave the building. As he was walking out, Shion addressed the inspector. 

“I think there’s no secret behind that management of yours, Aki-chan,” the blonde remarked, transferring the examination data to Shizuka. “You are deeply connected to your emotions… hiding them carefully so you wouldn’t be harmed,” Shion offered her own analysis. Shizuka digitally received her own file from the analyst, and immediately sent it to Ginoza. Just like they agreed on. 

“If you think we escapists are cowards because of it… you are probably right. Our self-preservation is what drives us most to convey images, or even sounds that are most suitable to overcoming difficult or unacceptable situations. We would imagine anything… in order to save our sanities. If those could be considered sanities at all.” 

“Well, I hope you keep doing what you are doing… because, it’s obviously working. I was hoping there was some secret way to get the crime coefficient at an acceptable number again… but, I guess I don’t have what it takes.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about the kind of therapy. You just need a different kind of treatment… or, at least, I see it that way.” 

Shizuka was now ready to leave. She has taken her bag from the chair.

“Aki-chan. I don’t think you are cowards… I think you are wondrous. Something we used to call “dreamers”, back in time. There are so few of you nowadays… when almost everything can be measured.” 

“Thank you for that, Shion.” 

“I am always happy to support,” she smiled.

“This means the world to me. I was glad we could have this conversation… it was really helpful.” 

“I can see that. Your cyan is getting clearer.”

Shizuka turned the color off.

“Yes… it appears it is getting clearer even now.” 

“Mind how you go, and protect that beautiful hue. Which reminds me…”

Shion took a smoke, lazily enjoying in it.

“We had enough of these talks about how minds work. And, regarding the topic of changing the therapy. Should you need to change it… I could recommend some other methods in case you are willing to do more experiments. Something more physical,” Shion winked. 

“Don’t tell me. More drugs?” Shizuka tried to dodge, but she knew Shion had something else up her sleeve. 

“No, dear. _Kougami_.” 

She wasn't even surprised. 

“Training with an Enforcer? That’s your advice?” she tried to act cool, but Shion managed to hit the nerve. Akibara rose, nervously removing her hair from her face. 

“No. Not at all. Is gym really the first thing that comes to mind when I say Kou?” Shion teased. Shizuka just rolled her eyes. 

“The term _Enforcer_ comes first, actually. The _gym_ is just a close second.”

“Aren't you a true disciple of Ginoza?” Shion pointed out the similarity of thinking between the two detectives. 

“No... but he is right regarding some viewpoints.”

“Well, I was merely referring to therapy. It’s one of the oldest ways, actually. It includes dopamine release, excessive sweating, stronger heartbeats, frequent adrenaline rushes and rising of blood pressure. Similar symptoms to training but… not quite.” 

Shizuka looked directly at Shion, giving her best to not look ashamed. 

“Did you suggest sex to him as a form of therapy as well?” she boldly asked, making Shion burst with laughter. 

“Kougami trains frequently; he has a lot of energy. I imagine he needs an even bigger outlet comparing to you,” she winked. 

“Shion… you are impossible,” Shizuka stated.

“Just perceptive. There’s still some tension between you two. Anyone can tell, even Ginoza. Which begs the question...”

“It’s not like that…” 

“Come on. You’d practically be doing Kou a favor. It’s basically stress relieving and all. You can say it’s a medical and my personal recommendation if you think he’d refuse you… but, the way Shinya’s eyeing you tells me he can’t wait.” 

The way he was _eyeing_ her had nothing to do with sexual tension.

“Drop it, girl,” Shizuka asked. “Now, I really have to go...” 

“To Kou?” the blonde offered. 

“… out!” 

Shizuka sometimes couldn’t take all the teasing. Shion was enjoying all of it way too much. 

“Wait, wait, wait… don’t tell me you are considering Gino instead. He seems… way too tense. But, again… those tense guys also tend to be very good at sex, so you might be in for a treat. Yet again, it's Ginoza, so one can never know. Well, if you prefer those serious, but timid guys, that is…” 

Shizuka just waved on her way out. “See you around, Shion.”

“No problem, dear. Come whenever you feel like talking!” 

Something was telling Shizuka that it won't be soon.


End file.
